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May 2008

Something Fishy II

Sat, 05/24/2008 - 10:46am — The Wine Guy

More adventures in the fish trade. We never did find an American provider for Tilapia. One customer told us there was a local Tilapia farm right here in eastern North Carolina. Then he leaned in close and said, "Do you know who controls the world Tilapia trade?" Of course, I didn't; but I knew he was going to tell me. "The Chinese drug mafia," he said. "They bring in suitcases of cash and buy out all this guy's fish to launder the drug profits." Well, that was certainly appetizing. I guess it's appropriate, considering Tilapia are bottom feeders.
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Cutback Cuisine

Sat, 05/17/2008 - 3:44pm — The Wine Guy

We recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal about what they call “cutback cuisine”. It’s how the big, fancy restaurants in New York City are making changes in ingredients, portions and menu items to deal with the spiraling cost of foodstuffs.

High oil prices and a world-wide thirst for ethanol have triggered a run-up in corn, feed and transportation costs that is driving up food prices. Restaurant owners last year saw wholesale price increases of 7.4%, the biggest jump in nearly three decades.

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Featured Wines — May 2008

Yadkin Valley_01
Words On Wine

"Yadkin Valley Pleasures"

It is indeed a pleasure to travel west on I-40, through the bustling Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle, past Greensboro, past Winston-Salem onto Highway 421 north and into the Yadkin Valley wine country. A couple of weeks ago, Yvonne and I caravanned with Washington Wine & Gourmet store manager Mary Mehlich and her husband Mark. We followed the familiar "bunch of grapes" directional signs off the highway and through the rolling farmland hills surrounding the Yadkin River valley. It was a beautiful early spring day, with little colts and calves (Chef Yvonne saw the latter as "veals") frolicking in the achingly green fields. We renewed old friendships, made some new ones and brought back some great Carolina wines.


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